Chapter 5

Day of the Moon

Friday, 15th of July 1994

Unlike the last time that Ron approached Willowgreen records, the sun was shining aggressively, almost as a reminder to the humans below it that summertime was still upon them, yesterday's weather notwithstanding.

Ron wore the best muggle clothes he had; A pair of very dirty, previously white shoes, a bright orange button-up shirt tucked into a pair of faded and ripped blue jeans. As he neared the record store, through the window he could see Ollie speaking to someone with a wide smile on her face. Suddenly she spotted him and waved.

Ron waved back, perhaps a little meekly, but with a wide smile to make up for it. Ollie started walking out the door, with Eddie, Martin and a blonde girl who looked around Eddie's age.

"Alright Ron?" Asked Ollie, a sly grin plastered on her face.

"Hey Ron!" Added Eddie joyfully, as she surprised him with a short hug.

Eddie let go and gestured to the blonde girl now standing next to Martin. "This is Luna by the way".

"Do I know you from somewhere?" Ron asked as he awkwardly waved back at the Spacey girl.

"Oh yes", she replied dreamily, "We go to school together".

"Are you sure about that?" Ron replied with a frown.

Luna returned his frown slightly. "I think so, you are Ginny's brother, aren't you?"

Ron's eyes widened slightly in recognition. "Oh, you're Xenophilius' daughter!"

"So you two go to the same boarding school then?" Asked Ollie curiously. "The one that teaches astronomy?"

"Oh yes", Luna replied quickly, "the perfectly normal boarding school that also teaches astronomy. I'm in the same year as his sister".

"Right…" said Ollie, with a hint of doubt in her voice.

"Not that this isn't fun and all," Eddie cut in, breaking the silence, "but aren't we going to miss our bus if we don't get a move on?"

"Alright, let's head off" Ollie commanded, sounding like a drill sergeant.

"Yes, Ma'am" Eddie replied briskly, giving a mock salute.

"Right", Martin said, still chuckling over Eddie's salute, "Ron you take care of the girls".

Ollie looked a little irked about this but said nothing.

"Will do boss" Ron replied, giving Ollie a cheeky smile.

Ollie rolled her eyes and started walking to the bus stop, ushering the group along with her. With a few goodbyes back to Martin, all four had turned a corner and martin was no longer in sight.

Ollie though the bus ride was rather uneventful, awkward even. That was off course with the notable exception of Ron's inability to figure out how to pay his fare. It was like he'd never been on a bus before.

She wasn't stupid, she could tell Ron was from a poor family, if his clothes were anything to go by. They did look good on him though, the orange shirt somehow made his orange hair even more eye-catching. In her opinion, he looked a lot like David Bowie, except that both the rock star only has one blue eye, while both Ron's eyes were a strikingly bright blue.

More than once, her sister caught the way she looked at Ron, including a very embarrassing moment where she took a moment to admire his bum, only to find Eddie smirking at her. Luna, for her part, was seemingly listening to a very captivating tune in her head, as she admired every sight there was to see out the windows.

When they finally arrived in Bristol, it was already mid morning, and they all had holes burning in their pockets.

"Record shop?" Ollie queried the group.

"Don't you live in one" Luna replied oddly.

Eddie's face lit up. Ollie always got nervous when it did that.

"Let's go to the cinema," she said excitedly. "There's this American movie called Speed, it sounds well good."

"I dunno Eddie, Dad wouldn't want you to watch a movie like that…" Ollie replied, trying, in vain, to be a responsible elder sister.

"Dad doesn't need to know, plus it's not even a horror movie this time".

Ollie sighs. "Alright, but if Dad asks, we watched a cartoon."

In the cinema, Ollie once again couldn't help but stare at Ron, mainly due to his amazement and wonder at what he was seeing, which was admittedly, a pretty entertaining movie. But he didn't seem to be that interested in the actual movie, he was constantly staring back at the projector, and muttering things like 'extraordinary' and 'genius' under his breath.

At one point he muttered something to Luna, who was sitting on the other side of him, causing her to giggle and nod in agreement. Which was especially funny, given Luna's remarkably similar strange reaction the first time she saw a movie with them. .

It was honestly like that boarding school meant they were from another world, and yet there was something so comforting about Ron. While she found Luna's strangeness to be somewhat unnerving, if slightly adorable, she found Ron's strange habits to be quite endearing. Although, she pondered, being tall and handsome could make anything you do quite nice to look at.

Her sister caught her eye and wiggled her eyebrows. Ollie blushed and turned back to the movie, only to see the villain get decapitated.

As the group leave the cinema Ron can't help but wonder in fascination at the delight of Eddie, who did nothing but rant and rave about the movie they just saw. Frankly, Ron was a little disgusted by the beheading that took place, but while Eddie explained to him him why it was apparently so cool, Ron still could not see the appeal.

"Alright" Ollie said, sounding a bit like a drill instructor, "Lunch time, anyone for chips?"

Ron's stomach took that unfortunate moment to grumble.

"I'll take that as a yes"

"Okay you and Luna can get chips, Ron's going to take me to that toy shop around the corner"

Before Ron could say anything, Eddie already had his arm and was marching him, small as she was, around a corner. Ron tried to look back to Ollie to check it was okay, but Ollie was just smiling at him, shaking her head at her sister's antics.

In the toy shop, Ron is slightly amazed, and slightly let down by the selection of toys. sure, there were talking robots and something called a "gameboy", but muggle children didn't have nearly as much as fun as magical children if this is what was offered. He got to use flying broomsticks and chase chocolate frogs as a child, play chess with pieces that could talk to back, dad even once enchanted Ginny's muggle "Barbie" dolls to give her fashion advice, while muggle children got to… play with blocks?

It was a little depressing actually, even Eddie seemed to think so, as she starred in a comic book titled "Fantastic Four". But why would Eddie be depressed?

"Everything alright Eddie" She seemed to be knocked out of a trance.

"Yeah" she sighed, putting on a small, tired smile.

"Okay", Ron replied awkwardly, not really knowing how to proceed.

Eddie's head returned to stare at the blonde woman on the book.

"Ron" She started with some uncertainty, "Do you ever feel different to everyone else?"

"What do you mean?"

"Like everyone else is normal, and you're not".

"Not really," Ron said, with his head tilted slightly. "I've never really felt special in my life."

"Really," Eddie frowned and turned to face him. "You've never once felt special"

"No, but that's what happens when you're the sixth son, does matter what you do someone has already done it."

"Oh"

"My friends are special", Ron's eyes lit up as the thought of Harry and Hermione entered his mind.

"Hermione is the smartest person I know, in our whole school probably. And Harry, Harry's the most special person I've ever met."

"How so?" Eddie asked curiously

"He's a Hero. A proper Hero, not like the made up ones".

He pointed to the comic book.

"What did he do?" she asked sceptically.

"Well for one, he saved my little sister's life."

"Yep, that'll do it. Is that why you two are friends?"

"No we've been best friends since we met"

And with Eddie's request, Ron told her about the first time he met Harry, removing all mention of magic, and the still rather painful memories of his not-rat Scabbers.

Later in the day Eddie Drags Ron for a long walk to Portishead where Ollie and Eddie apparently always meet. Next a small war memorial is a park bench on some plush green grass, which itself is right next to a small jetty leading to a mini lighthouse. Ron is taken aback by the sheer beauty of the light hitting the water of the Celtic sea, and when Ollie turned around at her sister's call, he was overtaken by a similar sensation, as the breath seems to evaporate from his lungs. . He can count on one hand the times this has happened, and other than his view of the ocean, it always included a girl with extremely curly hair.

Ron made his way over to Ollie and sat down next to her. Ollie hands out some chips on paper plates she brought with her, dividing it up between the four of them. They laughed as they ate, sharing stories and jokes. Ron gave them a very edited version of the story where they first met fluffy, which seemed less cool without Cerberus, but it was enough to leave Eddie giggling as Luna gave him a knowing smile. He returned it as Ollie looked at them with suspicion.

Eventually the two girls started playing games of It and hide&seek in the small area around them. In the hour that Ollie and Ron sat alone talking, many things were said, but most things went unsaid. For the first time in a long time, Ron felt content, not just happy, but happy without (or with very little) reservation.

As the conversation quietened into a relaxed silence and Ron watched the waves, the afternoon grew into early evening, and the wind started to blow lightly, leaving a slight chill in the air.

Ollie silently pulled a cigarette out of her bag and lit it, using her hands to cover it from the wind. After a few long drags, she smiles and puts it in front of Ron, gesturing for him to take a drag. Ron hesitated, but nodded and took it into his hand, he took a drag and choked on it.

"You never smoked a Spliff before?" Ollie laughed.

"Can't say I have"

"You shouldn't, it's quite bad for you."

"So why do you do it"

"It would be healthier if It had no tobacco I suppose, but that's how my friends like it, so I smoke like this".

Ron nodded in understanding, just now realising that Ollie had not offered him a drag of a cigarette. The slight nice feeling that Ron had heard of was slowly starting to realise itself. He wasn't worried, Fred had told him that just one puff wouldn't do much, but for his first time it would still be nice. But thoughts of Fred subsided, replaced by sudden interest in Ollie's face.

It wasn't the first time Ron noticed how pretty she was, and something told Ron that it wouldn't be the last. He turned to face the water again. Having a girlfriend would actually be quite nice, he supposed.

The bus ride home was a relatively quiet affair. Ron sat next to Luna, and the sisters chatted away about some music theory Ron wouldn't have minded listening in on.

"I was sorry to hear what happened to Ginny the year before last, Ronald" Luna said.

"Oh, thank you" he offered awkwardly, not wanting to make a conversation out of it.

"She told me you helped save her".

"Really," he asked disbelievingly

"Yes, she told me you were very brave"

"You helped?" Eddie said suddenly, seemingly appearing in thin air in front of them.

"Oh", said Ron awkwardly "I suppose I did".

Eddie nudged him in the elbow. "See, you're special too" she whispered, putting a small smile on Ron's face.

"She's one of the only friends I have at school" Luna continued, "she always able to cheer me up, but I can't seem to make her happy like I used to.''

"Well, she's dealing with a lot" Ron replied, feeling slightly sorry for Luna, who seemed to be in the same boat as him with regards to Ginny.

Ollie tapped Ron on the shoulder. "What happened to her?" she asked gently.

"It's not really my place to say" he responds simply.

Ollie nods in understanding.

"Yes," Luna concluded. "It's not the type of thing you ever stop being sad about, is it, Like how I feel about my mum".

Ron knew that Luna's mum had died a few years ago, his own mother was quite upset when she found out, and judging from their faces it seemed that the sisters knew as well.

"My mum died three years ago" Said Eddie, and an uncharacteristic vulnerability in her voice. "Martin and I always celebrate her birthday. But it doesn't stop me from being sad that she isn't here on my birthdays".

"My friend Harry, lost both of his parent's when he was a baby" Ron said softly, remembering something Harry once told him. "He said it's like there's this grey cloud over his head, and no matter what he does it never really leaves, but it does fade when he's happy and with his friends".

Luna tilted her head and Eddie smiled. Ollie however had a sour look on her face.

"My mum took off a few weeks after having me. Only married my dad to get in the country, probably only stayed with him while she was pregnant so she could dumped me with him."

Eddie had a cross look in her eyes.

"Her loss" she said, showing some experience in this matter, like the sisters have had this conversation before. "If she couldn't see how amazing you were then she never deserved you."

Ron was suddenly taken aback by the broken families that surrounded him. Whatever problems the Weasley's faced, at least there were (mostly) whole, and together. He couldn't imagine life without one of his parents, and his magic that he had both of them.

When they all got off the bus, Luna shook Ron's hand energetically before saying her goodbyes to the girls, and marching in the same direction Ron would need to follow. Ron turned to Ollie.

"I better go, I can walk her most of the way home, and it's getting pretty dark."

Ollie gives him a smile, and before Ron knows what is happening, she has her arms around him.

"I'll see you tomorrow" she says, her head next to his.

"Yeah, See you tomorrow"

They stay hugging for just long enough to be awkward, and finally let go. Not to be outdone, Eddie put her arms around him for a crushing hug.

"Thanks for talking in the shop Ron" a hint of that strange vulnerability in her voice.

"No problem" He responds, hugging her back.

Ron let's go, gave the sisters a small wave, and jogged to catch up with Luna.

Wow. Finally done. It's not a particularly long chapter (though is the longest yet), but it feels like this one has taken a lot more time. I kept adding a few sentences at time for months until I finally finished the final two-thirds in one day. I'm gonna try really hard to update faster. I'm back at university now, which in some ways will make me busier, but in other ways after all of the lock downs and quarantining a schedule and some routine might make me write faster. Who knows. Please comment on any predictions or criticisms or anything. Even spelling and grammar, but be warned, I will probably won't fix it.